How to Train & Retain Technology Professionals in the Security Industry

ConnectWise finds inspiration from Patrick Lencioni’s “The Ideal Team Player” to identify best practices on how to train and retain technology professionals.

ConnectWise Vice President of Automate Brett Cheloff discusses the influence Patrick Lencioni's book, "The Ideal Team Player," has had on how the company identifies, hires and support essential team members.

Recruiting and retaining top talent can be the key to success for a lot of companies as they establish themselves and grow. Part one of this guide explained why you should consider implementing interview best practices, onboarding processes and offboarding improvements.

However, after hiring a new employee, have you ever asked yourself why should employees want to work at your organization?

What makes a company truly desirable to work for is its ability to walk the talk of creating a positive culture, which means treating people in a positive way. This positive energy isn’t something that can be applied through external measures though. It starts from within.

Self-management is the practice of taking care of yourself so you can better take care of others. Be the positive, motivated, engaged example your employees need to see on a daily basis, but remember that authenticity is key. If you’re not “feeling it,” neither will they.

Your Vision Is Your ‘Why’

If you see the word “vision” and you don’t immediately think of your own, perhaps it’s time to revisit this concept. Your vision is your why. It’s the defining purpose in everything you do. Your vision should “pull” you toward your goals. It creates alignment within the team, creates loyalty to the cause and keeps everyone going in the right direction. This should be communicated often throughout the year, and should be something you strive for — not low-hanging fruit.

Get the Best on Board

If you want the best possible team to work with, start at the beginning: the hiring process. Retraining team members who aren’t a good fit is challenging for all involved, so make sure you’re getting the best on board by improving your hiring process. By adopting this mindset, you’ll ensure better employee recruitment and retention.

We believe there are three components to getting the right people on the team:

“The Ideal Team Player” by Patrick Lencioni

Philosophy

Outcome Formula

Find the Right Mindset

At a recent ConnectWise’s IT Nation, author and employee retention expert Patrick Lencioni discussed how to identify, hire and support essential team members. According to his book, “The Ideal Team Player,” great employees are humble, hungry and smart.

Humble: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. Employees who exhibit this trait will be better team players.

Hungry: Do they have a passion to learn? Will they go above and beyond? If employees are willing to trade in meaningless things for meaningful ones, goals and objectives will be met more readily.

Smart: A high IQ is great, but a high EQ, or emotional intelligence, is what makes an ideal team player. Those who are aware of how their actions affect others’ emotions can communicate more effectively and efficiently.

Focus on Philosophy and Formula

Do you know what drives your team? Their internal currency? Discovering this can result in better performance and less burnout. As Simon Sinek said, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.”

Once you’ve built your ideal team, and are focusing on what drives them, be aware of those who can drain the energy you’re working so hard to create and maintain. In John Gordon’s “The Energy Bus,” he introduces a helpful formula to determine how to identify “Energy Vampires.”

E + P = O (Events + Perception = Outcome): In other words, you can’t change events, but a change in your perception can drive a positive and opportunistic outcome.

Once you find those perfect hires, train them and make them a valuable building block for your company’s future.

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